tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25538029428009518672014-10-05T04:43:57.451+03:00Writer at LargeDiscussion, some advice, lots of questions and a few answers regarding the art of Marketing Communication - everything from branding to writing flyers
- what it means, how to do it (or NOT do it), examples and trends.Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-84151736409277297472011-10-10T11:17:00.002+02:002011-10-10T11:17:24.381+02:00After the Holidays...Acherie Ha'Chagim<br /><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's silly season in Israel: well, in some ways, it's ALWAYS silly season here, but particularly from around mid-August&nbsp;to mid-October, NOTHING gets done. Except a lot of eating, some Fasting, a lot more eating, traveling "chutz l'aretz", more eating, but business (?), work (?) - faggedabowdid!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Of course August is when everybody leaves Israel to take their precious offspring to Euro Disney, Turkey wonderland (oh, not any more, sorry...), trekking in Africa, on a burger binge in the US - just so the little ones will have enough stuff to brag about when they get back to school on September 1 - or is that September 2 or 3 or 4? - depending on the length of the annual teachers' strike - WHAT!?? No strike this year??? What is happening? And this year, was the "Summer of Love" in Israel, well, mainly Tel Aviv, with happy campers occupying the White City's most elegant boulevard in their highly successful (so far...) social protest. More strength to them, but I fear that post summer&nbsp;ennui&nbsp;may set in unless they really gird themselves for the winter to come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iY8FTFDqMWc/TpK3-PZL8AI/AAAAAAAAAK8/PNKD7uGnZBc/s1600/protests4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iY8FTFDqMWc/TpK3-PZL8AI/AAAAAAAAAK8/PNKD7uGnZBc/s400/protests4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But what has all this to do with MarCom or communication, or PR or Social Media? Quite a bit,&nbsp;actually. First of all, it was social media, Facebook and Twitter mainly, that got the crowds out for the protests in&nbsp;Israel's&nbsp;main cities. Just as SM (Social Media, not the other kind) got the populace out in our neighboring Arab countries to protest against their regimes. Except that there, people were being killed by their own armies and police forces. Even in Wall Street - the latest "Social Protest" to shake the conservative world - the police used pepper spray to "subdue" protesters. While in Israel, &nbsp;the police diverted traffic, guided&nbsp;protesters&nbsp;to their destinations, kept a watchful eye for any troublemakers, but generally&nbsp;endowed&nbsp;a&nbsp;benign&nbsp;presence to the proceedings. Hardly an incident, no noteworthy arrests, no agro whatsoever - just&nbsp;music&nbsp;(lots of music, many Israeli singers and groups donated their talents to keeping the crowds entertained and enthused), electrifying speeches &nbsp;and&nbsp;actually&nbsp;some action from the Government.&nbsp;Will&nbsp;Trajtenberg do any good? That remains to be seen. The Cabinet has just&nbsp;approved&nbsp;the recommendations, now we will see if there is anything to bite on there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Let's examine for a&nbsp;moment&nbsp;the role of Facebook and Twitter in this social&nbsp;upheaval. Quite frankly, I think too much is being made of the "mystique" of social media. Let's face it, if newspapers had just been&nbsp;invented&nbsp;they would have been seen as the medium of success for the protests. The magic of Facebook and Twitter (and others), is their speed and reach. Just as newspapers emerged in the 17th and 18th&nbsp;centuries&nbsp;as the way to reach a vaster number of people with thoughts, ideas, policies,&nbsp;propaganda etc than the town crier of a century earlier; just as radio, film and Television broadened the reach of - and&nbsp;accessibility&nbsp;to - the "<i>vox populi</i>" for most of the 20th Century, so the Internet, and social media provide us with a faster, more impactful, more&nbsp;immediate&nbsp;and farther-reaching&nbsp;tool&nbsp;than we have ever had. Almost at the speed of thought, as it were - no sooner have you thought the thought, than it is broadcast around the world (sometimes too quickly, with not enough real "thought" behind it...). But Facebook and Twitter (and others e. g. SMS) are just tools - tools to be used&nbsp;properly, and carefully and judiciously (or even with malice if you are that way inclined). I'm not trying to&nbsp;minimize&nbsp;the&nbsp;importance&nbsp;and excitement of these tools, not in the least. They are fantastic ways of communicating until the next BIG THING comes along), but they are NOT magic. They are tools. Learn how to use them, learn how to work with them, learn how to&nbsp;maximize&nbsp;them. Remember that it is the thoughts and policies, and ideas BEHIND them that matter - not the&nbsp;medium&nbsp;itself, despite what my guru&nbsp;</span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan">Marshall McLuhan</a></span></b><span style="color: black;">&nbsp;said about the "Medium" being the "Massage" (yes., that's correct "Massage"), it's not completely true. Although, on second thoughts, maybe it is: if you get an SMS or a FB or Twitter feed, know from whence it comes, and check it out, before acting on it o taking it too literally...yes, maybe the medium IS the Massage or message, as you will.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While talking about "Messages" - we witnessed the UN circus spectacle again: Palestinians demanding their rights, Israel putting its case, quite eloquently in usual Bibi fashion;&nbsp;Israel mustering all the diplomatic clout and support it can - the US, the Quartet, other friendly countries - and then we go and BLOW IT BIG TIME by announcing that we are building another 1,000 homes in Gilo. It's like saying to all or friends and allies - well, thank for your help, but here's mud in your eye (and I don't mean it as a toast over a G&amp;T!). I'm not debating whether Israel has the right to build in Gilo, whether Gilo is a&nbsp;settlement&nbsp;or part of Jerusalem, or any other&nbsp;standpoint&nbsp;right or left you care to muster. I'm talking straightforward PR - knowing when and what to say to whom and how. You may have the perfect right to cross the highway, but you don’t do it when there's a Mack truck bearing down on you!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: The Palestinians use the&nbsp;settlements&nbsp;as their most potent argument against&nbsp;Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: They will&nbsp;exploit&nbsp;ANY hint of settlement activity to&nbsp;strengthen&nbsp;their case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: We just did a marvelous PR job for the&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;cause.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can like that or not, it's the truth. We could have managed it far better - we could have kept it low key for a few more weeks, we could have built up the image of Gilo as part of Jerusalem, BEFORE announcing the building program; put Gilo's case before the world, show it as a suburb of Jerusalem, shown it as being nowhere near the West Bank...and then&nbsp;quietly&nbsp;introduced&nbsp;the idea of more&nbsp;building., But NO! We have to "show the world", brag and boast and strut and&nbsp;embarrass&nbsp;our friends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's time Israel's government learned a bit more about PR than just making&nbsp;impassioned,&nbsp;emotional&nbsp;speeches at the UN. A little subtlety and good sense wouldn't&nbsp;go amiss.</span></span>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-23270485048002368602011-09-28T16:17:00.001+03:002011-10-10T07:59:34.203+02:00Shana TovaWishing all my readers, friends, family and acquaintances, a very good, fruitful, productive, successful and above all peaceful New Year and Well over the Fast. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcMU7nd5ZhQ/ToMeOV-SSMI/AAAAAAAAAK4/1GhjIqReEK8/s1600/Rosh%2BHashana%2B2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcMU7nd5ZhQ/ToMeOV-SSMI/AAAAAAAAAK4/1GhjIqReEK8/s400/Rosh%2BHashana%2B2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-59675421308752973022011-09-19T13:29:00.006+03:002011-09-20T14:40:55.980+03:00Misunderstanding MarCom - a Beginner's (and Veteran's) Guide<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UyuF4fUh7_M/TneJ0os964I/AAAAAAAAAIY/Tu4GEHFuesg/s1600/Marcom%2Bimage.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="153" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654139394559175554" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UyuF4fUh7_M/TneJ0os964I/AAAAAAAAAIY/Tu4GEHFuesg/s400/Marcom%2Bimage.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">MarCom:</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> probably the most MISUNDERSTOOD and abused buzz-word in the (new) English language. A decade or two back, it used to be "Pee-Arrr". And here's the reason - very, very few people in Commerce, Industry, High-tech, the professions - unless they are MARKETING COMMUNICATION (without the "s" please) professionals understand exactly what these terms mean. So, dear and constant reader, I will endeavour (note my ENGLISH SPELLING PLEASE...) to enlighten you.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 16.3pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">First, why was the term "PR" misunderstood in the eighties? PR stands for Public Relations - it can stand for Press Release, but this is not its primary definition. Public relations is the art and practice of structuring attitudes, changing opinions, and shaping public views about a particular subject, policy or product to ensure general acceptance among the appropriate target audience. Acceptance can (and should) be translated into SALES...and sales can mean anything from actually selling a product or service, to gaining adherents to a political, religious or public platform, the support for a team or individual, through to just acceptance and understanding of a specific situation. This is achieved through a professional, planned and determined effort to get a specific message across: the media is largely used - and today there is a myriad of media opportunities - but there are other ways and means of achieving the predetermined objectives. So that's (loosely) what PR is - here's what it's not: a pretty young lady (or a hulky young man) peddling a product or demo at a trade show or exhibition - ah - wait, that can be PART of an overall PR effort, but the pretty young lady (or hulky young guy) CANNOT and SHOULD not be allowed to call themselves "Pee-arrs". That was then - but it persists today in the attitudes towards and understanding of MarCom. MarCom is perceived as the function of getting things together for a trade show; it is perceived as sending material to the printer and making sure it is delivered; it is considered to be the organizing of functions and events, more often just chasing up suppliers and making sure the invitations have been sent out.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 16.3pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">HOLD, I hear you protest, isn't that what "MarComs" do? NO - firstly, there is no such thing as a "MarCom" - there can be Marketing Communication assistants, even Marketing Communication practitioners, managers or directors and I'll even allow you to use the term MarCom as a prefix to "...executive, manager, director etc." But,and here's the rub, Marketing Communication DEMANDS that the exec or practitioner is at a sufficiently high level in the organization to participate in product/service policy making; to help set goals and objectives for the Marketing Department - wait, isn't this the same thing? Oh ho no, he replied - Marketing is the discipline and practice of researching, developing, understanding, creating and taking a product/service to market: Marketing Communication, is the discipline and act of COMMUNICATING </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">WHY</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">that product deserves to be there in the first place. Of understanding target markets and attitudes, of developing positioning, vision and mission statements, messages etc etc. N o-o-o-o it is NOT advertising - that's just part of it. It is the entire package which accompanies that product on its journey from concept, through production, to sales and distribution and eventually to the shelves, or public platforms or voting booths of the nation...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 16.3pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Why, you may well ask, am I getting so hot under the collar about this subject? It's a simple answer actually. A week ago, I spoke to somebody who was trying to get some courses and seminars together. When I proposed putting together my course of Marketing and Corporate Communication, he stopped me in mid-flow and said: "Nobody wants MarCom anymore - they are only into SocialNetworking..." And that got my blood boiling . This person, who should know better, through this one statement, has demonstrated that he has absolutely NO understanding whatsoever of what MarCom (TRUE MarCom) is all about. Social Networking is only another tool in the MarCom work-box...a powerful tool, no doubt, but still just a tool. As are web sites, brochures, advertising, PR (REAL PR), public appearances, exhibitions, movies and the entire panoply of media and communication tools.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 16.3pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Now, perhaps, you understand what I'm on about. If you still don't get it, then you need my course! I'll be happy to put it together.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-47894003320494138672011-09-19T13:07:00.008+03:002011-09-20T14:38:09.754+03:00What Am I?...<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 599px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 6.8pt 6.8pt 6.8pt 6.8pt;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 3.4pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2FyPcxZ_5o8/TncWP46XIOI/AAAAAAAAAHo/lFHm2ohIyWg/s1600/LSB-Panama%2BHat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="185" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654012319417966818" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2FyPcxZ_5o8/TncWP46XIOI/AAAAAAAAAHo/lFHm2ohIyWg/s200/LSB-Panama%2BHat.JPG" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>I am first and foremost a writer.</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 3.4pt;">Apart from writing for Marketing and&nbsp;Corporate Communication projects, I&nbsp;have also written two <span class="Apple-style-span">children's books -&nbsp;</span>one already published in the US and another due for publication as a series in South Africa this year.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Right <span class="Apple-style-span">now, I am in the middle of writing "<i>The Great Israeli-South African</i>" novel....a fictionalized version of my life as reporter in Apartheid South </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Africa and subsequent events leading up to the present day in the Middle East (any publishers out there?). Apart from that, just to keep me from getting bored, I am a professional actor and voice-over artist, write and produce documentary movies and will shortly commence presenting a course in Marketing and Corporate Communiction. </span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.4pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 3.4pt;"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">As an actor, I have appeared in numerous stage and film productions, my best</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> known role being that of the American Ambassador in the Israeli satire <a href="http://mosad.co.il/flash/english.html">"</a><span lang="EN-GB"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #4e7dbf;"><a href="http://mosad.co.il/flash/english.html">Israeli Intelligence - Ha'Mosad Ha'Sagur</a></span></i></span>" which took two prizes at the recent <a href="http://houstoncomedyfilmfestival.com/Awards.php"><span style="color: #4e7dbf;">Houston Comedy Film festival</span>.</a> I also have a one-man show based on the works of one of South Africa's greatest writers, Herman Charles Bosman - for which I won Best Actor in the the 2000 English Drama Festival in Tel Aviv.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I emigrated from Durban, South Africa at the end of 1987, with my wife, three children and a dog: my wife and I share our lives in Kfar Saba with four cats...(children have finally moved out and the dog died a long time ago...)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654013267701508274" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cw_i_VAm1ws/TncXHFixqLI/AAAAAAAAAHw/XJVJvDFm5i0/s400/Larry-Bosman.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 189px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 214px;" /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fce5cd; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">On stage in the role of Schalk Lourens in HC Bosman's "A Bekkersdal Marathon" - a hilarious look at life in the South Afric</span></i><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fce5cd; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">an "outback"</span></i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-71840887084599810672011-09-19T08:10:00.000+03:002011-09-22T10:19:39.093+03:00Why Use Me?<span xmlns=''><p><span style='color:black'><strong>Because I write with passion</strong>: I immerse myself completely in whatever I'm working on - be it brochure copy about telecommunications, an ad for a supermarket promotion, a complicated business plan, web site content or a business blog, even a corporate PowerPoint presentation or video script. I have more years experience than I care to count, have a wide knowledge of many different fields, and approach every project with dedication, professionalism and humor. I live and breathe Marketing Communication and apply this discipline to every project.</span><br /> </p><p><span style='color:black; background-color:white'>My thinking is definitely "<em>out of the box"</em>, so d</span><span style='background-color:white'>on't be surprised if I come up with something you don't quite expect - but I know from long, hard years at the rock-face, that it works. So try me, use me...I work quickly and I'm not that expensive; you'll find that I'm a valuable (if somewhat "quirky") resource for your MarCom and CorpCom team.</span><br /> </p><p style='text-align: center'><br /> </p><p><img alt='' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dx7m-Uv5tdA/TnbPQ09f7iI/AAAAAAAAAG0/p_QBe7w-WiM/s200/nine-dots-1.JPG'/><br /> </p><p style='text-align: center'><span style='color:black; background-color:white'><em><span style='text-decoration:underline'>The Nine Dot Test</span>:</em></span><br /> </p><p style='text-align: center'><em><span style='color:black'><span style='background-color:white'>Join all nine dots with four straight lines, without lifting your pencil from the page.<br/>Can't get it?</span><br /> <a href='mailto:larry@ltlbg.com'/></span><span style='color:#4e7dbf'>Contact me</span><span style='color:black'><br /> <span style='background-color:white'>and I'll send you the solution.</span></span></em><br /> </p><p><span style='color:black'><span style='background-color:white'>...and for</span><br /> <span style='background-color:white'><strong>Israeli companies</strong></span><br /> <span style='background-color:white'>wanting to promote their products and services abroad...I'm the resource you need. I have the contacts, the knowledge, the expertise and the language.</span><br /> <a target='_blank' href='mailto:larry@ltlbig.com?subject=Contact%20from%20Blog'/></span><span style='color:#4e7dbf'>Contact me</span> or call (+972 54 542 9893) <span style='color:black; background-color:white'>to discuss your needs.</span></p></span>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-56950531774116783062009-11-30T17:17:00.000+02:002009-11-30T17:17:26.537+02:00Business Blogs for Business ProfessionalsBlogging is becoming a way of life...for moms, dads, kids, hobbyists, social commentators, professionals and of course businesses. But while writing a blog seems easy, there are a number of pitfalls and bumps along this not yet altogether paved road. <br /><br />Let's start with the upside: blogging is VERY informal, and thereby hangs it attraction. You can write almost anything you like: whether it's news about the family dog (a "Dog Blog"), or comment on the political situation; whether it's about your grandkids, or about the state of the world's economy. Nobody will check you, nobody will censor you - although if it's off-color and people don't like it, they might <em>censure</em> you, or just stop reading...<br /><br />A blog can also get you wide recognition if you go about marketing it the right way and making sure it is optimized, exposed in all the right places, and gets you readership. SO, those are some of the GOOD things about blogging.<br /><br />Now here's the BAD part: If you start a blog and you are serious about it (especially if its a professional or business subject) you HAVE to keep going. And you have to be consistent - in both message and frequency. If you plan to send out a weekly news update on the developments in Medicare, you absolutely MUST ensure that your blog is published EVERY WEEK. Failure to do so raises questions about whether you are still blogging, whether you’ve been hacked, or whether, let's face it, you are even still alive. This can become a chore - particularly if you need to find new content on a regular basis. It's not quite like a newsletter, which tends to give a somewhat cold, overview of affairs. A blog is personal; it's written by A PERSON and therefore it brings the communication - if we are talking now between an organization and its public - down to personal, one-on-one contact...the blog may be written by the CEO of the company (or at the very least under his name) or the Customer Relations Manager; by your local congressman or MP, by the Mayor of your city...but it's personal and it provides a human touch. Striking the right tone is therefore most important and comes next to consistency and frequency in the hierarchy of things to consider when you set out on this journey.<br /><br />But let's face it, Blogging is fun: and you get to see what you’ve written immediately (typos and all). Fortunately there is some pretty nifty Blogging software out there, so you can choose the one that suits you best.<br /><br />Now, here's where I come in: let me handle your Blog for you - I'll do all the research, writing and publishing of your blog, I will maintain it and keep it up to date, I will align it with your marketing policies and messages, and most of all, apply optimization strategies to ensure that it is read by the people who matters most to you and your business.<br /><br />So, if the idea of blogging appeals to you, but you just couldn't be bothered with the hassle and the discipline it requires, let me take that off your shoulders...for a fee of course, but not such a hefty one. Pretty soon you'll have a following which can only enhance your overall marketing and promotional programs.<br /><br /><em>Be in touch - let's blog together.</em>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-77075711352375057942009-10-22T14:51:00.000+02:002011-09-20T14:38:56.366+03:00Part 2: Israel and its appalling PRIn my previous posting, I discussed the possibility of recruiting a task force of multi-lingual communication experts to work on Israel's PR effort: today I'll go a little further into the ideas and throw some criticism (hopefully constructive) at the various Ministries and bodies that are supposed to be dealing with this most important issue.<br /><br />Criticism first: Israel must STOP - right now - allowing people with a poor command of English to be interviewed in any way whatsoever by the international media. I recently watched a clip of a head-to-head between an Israeli official and a very erudite Brit and a pretty firm Australian moderator debating something about Gaza. Despite the Israeli having all the facts, and being absolutely correct and accurate in what he said, he was DEMOLISHED by the Brit and Israel came out looking like bumbling idiots again. <br /><br />Two reasons: when being interviewed on radio or TV, there is no excuse for "umming"and "erring". It just makes the interviewee come across as being unsure of his facts, being uncomfortable in a high pressure studio situation and scores little or no points with anyone. We have some excellent spokesmen and women: Mark Regev is one of the best; Miki Rosenfeld (Israel Police) is also very good and of course Bibi is among the best (I'm not talking about his politics here....).<br /><br />What we need here is some pretty intensive training in public speaking and presentation skills. I don't care if the spokesman has an Israeli accent: take our Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon as a perfect example. He has an Israeli accent, but he speaks excellent English, and the accent adds to his charm. But when other so-called (and I use the word advisedly) spokesmen/women "um" and "err" and can't put an intelligible sentence together, then we're in trouble.<br /><br />I believe that one of the reasons that we do not have a small, highly effective cadre of very high level spokesmen/women who are the ONLY ones allowed to be interviewed, is because each Ministry protects its own turf. And there seems very little coordination between them as to what to say, and how to say it.<br /><br /><strong>A basic rule of Corporate Communication</strong> - be consistent with your message and its delivery.<br /><br />And let it be the same for ANY language: Arabic - we have excellent Arabic speakers and spokesmen/women, the same for German, Italian, Spanish, French - virtually any language under the sun and people who speak it competently, can be found in Israel. Again, I say, with all due respect all round - do not let Israelis who cannot speak the language fluently - and can therefore think on their feet - within SPITTING distance of an international network! Is that "<em>dugri</em>" (direct) enough for you?<br /><br />So what do we need? Recruit people in communication; train them, nurture them; PAY them well - but first and prime and above all - we need to develop and AGREE on a set of Positioning, Mission and Vision statements, that every ministry can buy into, that the entire nation will buy into and adopt and that will start defining Israel as a nation&nbsp;and as&nbsp;a people - more on this subject in my next post...<br /><br />...here endeth the second lesson....(!)Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-89551196807603324212009-10-21T15:23:00.000+02:002011-09-20T14:38:40.989+03:00Part 1: Israel is Guilty…of appalling PRIsrael has been found wanting in the court of PR and has only itself to blame. <br /><br />This is my firm opinion and the opinion of leading PR, advertising and marketing communication experts in Israel and abroad who feel frustrated – and often angered – by the Israel’s appalling PR performance. <br /><br />This is especially true after the Goldstone Report, in which Israel – despite the "efforts" of its diplomatic team and the fact that the report contained so many inaccuracies - came out looking like a whining child, falling over itself to respond with anger and self-righteousness, rather than taking a smart, creative and businesslike approach. This would have entailed some strategic planning BEFORE the release of the report - not once it was a <em>fait accompli.</em><br /><em>&nbsp;</em>Personally, I just don’t understand it. Israel has the most amazing story to tell, it’s positioning is one of democratic values, freedom, progress and human rights, and yet we get clobbered in the world media every time.<br /><br />Is it because the powers that be just don’t see the need – or the potential – for being proactive, for presenting an open, ‘warts and all’ approach? Or because they just refuse point blank to listen to the myriad of English-speaking communication, advertising, PR, branding and promotional experts living and working in Israel, adopting a typically "I know better" attitude?<br /><br />There are dozens - perhaps even hundreds –&nbsp; of sophisticated professionals who would bend over backwards to contribute their formidable internationally-honed skills and experience to helping this country fight the negativity and vilification that is poured on&nbsp;it day after day.<br /><br />With the will and determination - and possibly a small budget to grease the wheels –&nbsp; the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s main “PR” arm, could recruit a powerful multi-lingual task force of communication strategists, writers, web designers and developers, social networking experts, advertising visualizers, television and radio directors, producers and &nbsp;presenters.<br /><br />Such a team, led by creative, energetic people with the required expertise, would be a formidable force which would turn the tide of Israeli PR from its present abysmal situation, into something positive, proactive and helpful.<br /><br />More on this subject shortly...Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-14947812072066623092009-05-29T09:13:00.000+03:002009-05-29T10:02:28.801+03:00Drops of Blood on the Forehead<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>"Writing is easy: all you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead..."</em> Gene Fowler.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">As one who has shed copious gallons of blood writing for clients (and for other purposes) I can attest to the truth of this phrase. So why do we do it? Because after the blood-letting, the words glowing on the page (or screen) are so magical, so beautifully crafted, so amazingly evocative, that clients (and other interested parties) are clamoring to part with vast amount of green stuff for the right to use them. Ha!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">That's the theory...now for the practice. There is no easy way to create good copy. It is only after years of experience, accumulating knowledge and technique, learning the ropes under the lash of monstrous editors and even more demonic clients, that you learn how to string together a series of letters that will leap off the page and make the chosen reader jump up and shout "Oh my God!" (apologies to Mark Twain).</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">THIS is the reaction you aim for, whether you are writing copy to sell a pencil set or a new fangled incredibly complicated high-tech software system. But this reaction can only be achieved if you remember that at the heart of ANY promotional campaign - product, service, political platform - there lies a basic truth that, to have any hope of being effective, must be conveyed to the target audience:</span><br /><br /><em><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Buy this product, get this benefit!"</span></strong></em><br /><strong><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em></strong><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This is the fundamental Rock of Ages for ANY PR, advertising or marketing effort. Forget this basic tenet at your peril. And I don't really care what medium you use: print, TV, or the Internet; web pages, exhibitions or billboards, Facebook or Shmaisbook. Your target audience is going to need an irresistibly compelling reason to part with its money, or change its attitudes, or adopt a particular social or political standpoint.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You can dress up communication (no "s" please), in any way you like. Call it Social Networking or New Media or traditional media, old PR or Digital PR, advertising or advertorial, the final objective is the same...</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And this, my dear readers is where those of us dragged up in the old school of newspaper journalism, advertising copywriting and hard core PR, fighting for every inch of column space, having sacrificed our lifeblood on the alter of creative writing, are better equipped to make the most of the new media - to make that leap across the digital divide (see my earlier blog: </span><a href="http://b2bcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/taking-quantum-leap-across-digital-pr_25.html"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://b2bcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/taking-quantum-leap-across-digital-pr_25.html</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">) and create REAL value for our clients; through creating attention-grabbing, informative, desirable information that results in action - i. e. sales!</span>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-53353060538724721792009-05-25T19:13:00.001+03:002009-05-29T09:07:32.302+03:00<strong>Taking a Quantum Leap across the Digital PR Divide<br /></strong><em>Experience, knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm are the keys for clients to get the best results from Digital PR<br /></em>By Larry Butchins<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(c) May 2009</span><br /><br />“<em>We will not be participating in the current recession, thank you – we’re far too busy</em>....”<br />This is the sort of response you can expect from a growing group of Internet marketing an PR agencies who have embraced the Internet – and are convincing their clients that the intelligent use of Web 2.0 technology (social networking), is the way to get your message out there.<br />Years ago, when PR was mainly focused on getting print media coverage of your client’s face, name and business, having a mass medium at your fingertips would have seemed like a PR man’s fantasy.<br />As TV news and business coverage grew, that became the Brass Ring to grab for – getting TV coverage was the BIG prize. But now that Web 2.0 is ubiquitous and everybody can connect with anybody, ensuring wide-spread coverage for your message is <em>that</em> much simpler...as long as you know what you’re doing.<br />The rapid growth of Digital PR and marketing is testimony to the myriad uses and applications we have available: Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, on and on. But a word of warning: at the heart of every successful PR campaign lies a single entity – a good story. So while it is tempting to run your fingers over your computer keys and send out information on your company, product, service or whatever, be sure that you are doing it right.<br />There is still a need to target your audience – know who you are talking to; you still have to have a sound message, a “reason-why”, to know what you are saying to them; and you still have to know what you want your audience to do when they read the posting in question. But, above all, you still have to know where and how to place your PR piece – and all of the above become the job of the PR professional... who knows his way around the web.<br />Another word of warning: while using the web is very tempting, because of its sheer size and coverage, therein lies the trap. Your message is useless if it’s not read: you have to be sure that it is going to reach the target concerned. And amidst such a welter of material, if it comes up 950,000th in a list of more than 3,000,000 results, all your efforts will be in vain .<br />So SEO – Search Engine Optimization – becomes a key strategy in any Web PR campaign. Savvy web PR people know how to prepare material which will attract the attention of search engines, and which will increase its hits, which increases its place on the lists, which delivers more readers, and increases its chances of being seen, read, understood and acted upon.<br />Again, at the heart of it – a damned good story: something well-prepared, attention grabbing, interesting, something which creates a desire to learn more and prompts action. Very often that action results in a sale. And that’s what it’s all about.<br />Digital communications and new media have opened up new distribution channels for PR and require a new set of skills from smart PR people. Clients are beginning to realize the powerful ROI possible through creative online communication programs which are redefining the PR industry. Traditionalists, bigger agencies still umbilically tied to old methods and operations, will suffer greater during a recession. Fast-moving, Internet PR people, particularly those with many years experience in the more traditional media who have successfully made the quantum leap across the digital divide, will be the ones to control the industry as it grows and grows and grows....Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-80912362404965457922008-11-02T09:09:00.000+02:002008-11-02T10:01:16.458+02:00Yigal Amir and the MediaThere is a media feeding frenzy going about Yigal Amir's telephone interview with two TV channels. And now two leading (left-leaning) journalists have published conflicting views about whether the channels were right about pulling the interviews from their broadcast schedule after having widely publicized that they were going to be aired. Did the channels just cave in to public opinion and the dictates of higher authority, discarding journalistic integrity? <br />Right or Wrong: - IMHO - both. BUT...and it's a ginormous "BUT"...<br />Let's look at the interviews from a purely journalistic point of view first:<br />in my days as a reporter, would I have given my eye teeth to have an interview with a murderer - especially such a high profile murderer as this one? You betcha!!!!<br />But back in those days, we had what we used to call journalistic ethics (!!!???- what?) The first question that my editors would have asked - and which I would have had to ask myself - was: "Is it in the public interest?" If the potential story failed this acid test, then it was canned right at the outset - BEFORE the interview even took place. <br />Then there are other questions that would have supported the final decision: Why was the individual in question granting the interview - or seeking the interview - in the first place? For self-aggrandisement? For publicity for his spurious cause? A positive answer to any of these questions would have caused it to be spiked there and then.<br />And then, is it legal to interview this person? Should there not be a complete embargo over everything that spews from his potty-mouth? And let's be clear here people, we are not talking about "freedom of the press" but about "freedom to incite". The right to know is entrenched in every modern democracy - and Israel prides itself on out democratizing any other known democracy. But the right to incite is tantamount to sedition, plotting against the state and thereby, plotting against the citizens of the state. THIS is how the interview should have been judged at the outset. <br />Let's be honest - why would anybody want to know anything about the thoughts and dreams of this vile individual? He is first of all, a convicted - and self-confessed - murderer. More importantly, he murdered a Prime Minister and with it, the hopes and dreams of a peaceful solution to our tragic situation - setting back the peace process by decades. He destroyed reputations, he brought about national mourning and a national schism between right and left, he branded the moderate right wing as fanatics and he pushed the fanatics beyond the pale (where they should have been anyway). He created a national trauma...and for this our "liberal" media (hmmm - can we call the TV channels "liberal"?) wants to give him a platform?<br />OK - so you can see where my sentiments are: the final analysis - NO, do not publish the interviews; they should not have been held in the first place; consign this man to anonymity for the rest of his life - ignore his rantings, ignore the idiotic sproutings of his imbecilic wife; he is not worthy of our attention or our energy (too much of which has already been spent on this post).<br />There is nothing that he can say which would be of the remotest interest to me - and as I am a member of the public, it is therefor NOT in the public interest.<br />The channels were right to have pulled the interview, but wrong to have even considered it - and publicised it - in the first place.<br />And may Yigal Amir be thrown into a pit of vipers where he will be in good company...Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-74433107123866352752008-10-29T07:47:00.000+02:002008-10-29T15:37:05.503+02:00How (NOT) to Act in a Recession<em>“The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow and what will poor robin do then, poor thing...?<br />“She’ll hide in the barn and keep herself warm, with her head tucked under her wing...”</em><br /><br />This children’s poem reflects the global winter (no matter which hemisphere you live in...) which has us all apparently reacting like lemmings hurtling towards the cliffs of financial disaster.But what is the message of the poem in the current crisis? My belief - and I’ve weathered a few “recessions” in my time - is that there’s a marketing parable in it with some good messages.<br /><br />1. Neither you nor your business are birds...although perhaps you were flying high once a upon a time – but seasons change, in life and in business<br />2. Do NOT panic – don’t hide your cash under the floorboards. Mice live there and they <em>will </em>eat it.<br />3. Do NOT hide in the barn – don’t stop marketing and promoting: if you do that, you will surely fade into oblivion and no one will remember you when spring comes around again as it surely will)<br />4. Do NOT tuck your head under your wing – withdrawing from the world, canning your marketing and advertising campaigns, sending your Marketing team home, pulling budgets from PR and promotion, spells death – because when the sun shines again you want to be the first robin out of the barn and into the bright blue sky once more.<br /><br />With the dollar rising in value again, NOW is the time for Israeli marketers to get out and EXPORT EXPORT EXPORT. But do it properly: have all your Corporate and Marketing communication ducks in a row. Use professional Communication experts who know the international scene and know HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH. A major client of ours recently won a large US contract on the strength of its (and I quote from the US company): “...professional and extremely high level of communication which gave us confidence in the abilities of the company to deliver...”Praise indeed.<br /><br /><em>Larry Butchins is a Strategic, Corporate and Marketing Communication specialist with more than 30 years experience in Public Relations, Corporate Identity and Branding both in Israel and internationally. He runs a B-2-B consultancy, littlebig specializing in high-end Strategic communication programs for Israeli companies marketing abroad.</em>Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-29166611478022056752008-10-29T07:45:00.000+02:002008-10-29T07:47:00.635+02:00Corporate & Visual Communication, Branding and Collateral SupportGot a business plan to prepare for a Road Show; need a PowerPoint to go along with it; looking for a knock-out display for your next exhibition and some really punchy messaging to drive home your point? Or maybe you need a new look-and-feel, a new website, or a beautiful brochure to showcase your company?littlebig is a small, but highly creative Corporate and Visual Communication firm, specializing in high-level Business-2-Business communication - branding, corporate communication strategy, visual design, collateral support (web sites, brochures, presentations, documentation, exhibition design, development and management).We promise personal service, on-time delivery and highly effective, international quality communication - making it easier for you to sell your ideas, products and services.<br /><br />For more information, give me a call:<br />Larry ButchinsManaging Partner<br />054-542-9893<br />larry@ltlbg.comLarry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553802942800951867.post-36776676865127827462008-10-29T07:34:00.000+02:002008-10-29T07:42:54.606+02:00Some Musings on Communication<b>with or without the “s”?</b><br /><br />Communication - that’s WITHOUT the “s” please - is the art of passing information from one individual, group or organization to another individual, group or organization. In other words, communication between humans.<br /><br />Communications, WITH the “s” this time, describes electronic information flow, bits and bytes flashing between machines; telephony, internet, television - so, having got that out of the way…let’s move on:<br /><br />Communication is the art of passing information from one individual, group or organization to another individual, group or organization. There is nothing new in this. Man has been communicating since he first learnt to mouth “Ugh!” and daub some muddy colors on his cave wall.<br /><br />It’s only the tools he uses that have changed - and even then, despite the fact that modern communication is digital and instant, when you boil it down to the basics, it’s still the conveyance of ideas and messages in words and pictures, sometimes spoken, sometimes moving; but still…words and pictures.<br /><br />The objective in modern communication, is to immediately gain the attention of the target audience - individual, group or organization, in such a way that said audience sits up and takes notice…and then ACTS on what he, she or they have been told.<br /><br />THIS is what effective business communication is all about - attracting attention, and getting a positive reaction: a reaction that directly benefits the source of the message - our client.Larry Butchins - Writer at Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07612187321750500828noreply@blogger.com0